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Letters Paten-t No. 66,810, dated July 1G, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN BANJOS.

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'lO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, I-I. C. DOBSON, of the city, county, and Statie of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Banjosj. and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

The present invention relates to certain improvements in banjos, guitars, and other similar musical instruments; and it consists in a novel manner of securing the parchment-head to and between two annular rings, which rings are then so attached to the rim of the banjo as to leave an opening or space between then: and the banjo-rim for the escape of the sounds produced by the vibrations of the sound-board which is upon the back side of the instrument. In the accompanying plate of vdrawings my improvements are illustrated- Figure I being a plan or top view of the parchment-head, and Figure 2 a central vertical section, taken in the plane ot' the line a: fr, tig. 1. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

A, in the drawings, represents theparchment-head of a banjo, wuitar, or other similar musical instrument,4

placed over the flange or raised lip B on the inside of an annular ring, C, with its edge a lappedaround a wire ring, b. D, another annular ring, tting around the outside of the ring-flange C, resting upon the w'irc in the edge ofthe parchment-head. This ring D is secured to the ring C by means of a series of screws passing loosely through it and screwing into the ring C'. lso that by turning the said screws in the proper direction to bring the two rings together, the parchment-head will necessarily be drawn or strained ovei` the ring-flange I3, and thus tightened and held at any desired degree 'of tension, to relieve which it is only necessaryA to turn the said screws in the opposite direction.- F, the rim or cylinder of the banjo, made a little larger in its internal diameter than the outside diameter' of the annular rings'C and D, to and above one edge, G, of which rim, by means of aseries of right-'angular brackets or arms, II, on the'outside of the ring C at suitable points of its length, the parchmenthead frame or rings C and I) are secured, leaving an opening or space, I, between every two of the brackets entirely around and about the banjo cylinder, to the back or under side of which is attached the sound-board Ii, made of any ofthe woods or materials ordinarily used therefor.

From the above description it is plainlyobvious that the parchment-head can be readily tightened and held at any degree of tension, and that, furthermore, by leaving the open spaces about the parchment-head frame between it and the banjo cylinder, the free escape of the sounds produced by the vibrations ot' the sound-board of the instrument is allowed.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- So securing the frame for holding the 'parchment-head ot a banjo, or other similar musical instrument, to its rimv or cylinder having the sound-board upon the back or under side as to leave an open space around and betweenthe said parchment-head frame and rim, substantially as herein described, and for the purpose specied.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 9th day of January, 1866.

' HENRY C.. DOBSON.

Witnesses z' M. M. LIVINGSTON, ALBERT W. BROWN. 

